Hunt for Jackals Intensifies at Sonari Airport: No Trace Despite Bait and Cameras

Jamshedpur: The Forest Department has launched an extensive search operation following suspected sightings of jackals inside the Sonari Airport premises. Though signs of possible jackal movement have been found in the lower and densely vegetated areas of the airport compound, no animal has been directly spotted so far.

Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Saba Alam Ansari confirmed that efforts to trace the animals included tying a chicken and a goat as bait and installing trap cameras across the campus. However, the jackals have not been captured on camera, nor have they appeared at the bait sites.

Airport staff and security personnel have claimed that five to six jackals are often seen inside the premises during evening hours. With President Droupadi Murmu scheduled to visit Jamshedpur on February 26, the district administration has directed the Forest Department to safely relocate the animals as a precautionary measure.

The President is slated to lay the foundation stone of a project at the Shri Jagannath Spiritual and Cultural Charitable Trust in Kadma. In view of the high-profile visit, officials are considering seeking assistance from Tata Steel Zoological Park for capturing and relocating the jackals. Forest officials have stated that another search operation will be conducted soon.

Meanwhile, Deputy Director of Tata Steel Zoological Park, Dr. Nayeem Akhtar, said that the zoo authorities have not yet been formally contacted. He added that if approached, they would extend full cooperation in capturing the animals safely.